Superbowl Sunday - America's favorite pig out excuse

I'm not a big football fan, but I look forward to the Superbowl every year. Not for the commercials or the sheer luck of picking the winning square, but for the sheer fact that this unofficial holiday always features some of the BEST pig out food around. The game, the commercials, even the booze is secondary to the food. It is the only time of year I find it perfectly acceptable to eat Cheetos.

This year, The Boyfriend and I are going to a friend's house to gorge ourselves and watch football. Lucky for us our friend is a FANTASTIC cook! She's got everything covered in the kitchen, so I don't need to bring anything...but if I was to bring something, I'd bring these delicious tartlets (that I brought to their house for a dinner party a few weeks back). They are a big hit and look impressive while being extremely simple to prepare.

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts recipe found in Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics:
(sidenote: I'm not the biggest fan of goat cheese, so I usually assemble the 2nd puff pastry sheet omitting the goat cheese and tomato to make it a little different.)

- 1 package puff pastry, defrosted
- Olive oil
- 2 large Vidalia (sweet) onions, sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
- 3 tablespoons sherry
- 2 teaspoons minced thyme leaves
- 5 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling, Parmesan cheese
- 1 4 oz herbed goat cheese
- 1/4 of a package of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 large tomato, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 3 or 4 julienned basil leaves
- Salt & pepper

This yields two tarts and can feed about 6 people, depending on how generous you cut the slices. 

1. Unfold puff pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a square/rectangle that accommodates your baking sheet (I use a 10 x 15 in. cookie sheet). Place it onto a parchment sheet and stick it in the fridge until you're ready to use. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until the onions start to wilt and there is almost no moisture left. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the sherry , thyme and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes until the onions start to brown. (Be patient, don't turn up the heat or you will burn the garlic and it will make the whole thing taste bitter and burnt.) Remove from heat.

3. Get your puff pastry out of the fridge. Using a sharp knife, score a boarder around the perimeter - this will act as your crust. Then, get a fork and poke the interior of the dough, staying away from the border.   Sprinkle some parmesan inside the border. Add half of your onion mixture (remember to stay inside the border) and crumble as much goat cheese as you like on top of the onion mixture. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Add your tomato slices and brush them lightly with olive oil. This will prevent the tomato from burning. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle some basil on top of everything.

4. Place onto the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Tart should be golden brown when done.

5. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Use a pizza cutter to cut into square pieces and serve warm.

Should you suffer a food coma and/or hangover on Monday like I probably will, I suggest: an egg & cheese on a hard roll, pink Focus Vitamin Water, and 2 Tylenol. Follow with coffee as necessary.

Happy Superbowl!

What Grinds My Gears - On the road

I've decided I'd like to have a regular post about stuff that Grinds My Gears (any other Family Guy fans out there?) or otherwise, really pisses me off gets me angry/annoyed. You know, life's infuriating way of getting under your skin. 

Like anyone, sometimes, I lose my temper. On average, at least once a day. More often than not, this happens in the car. 

But you have to understand I commute in seriously congested rush hour traffic to and from my job every day.  At least, that's when it happens most. When did everyone get to be in such a hurry going places? Recently, in a feeble attempt to curb my road rage, I've started to listen to NPR on my way home from work. It helps... for a while. That is until I have to slam on my breaks because some idiot decided they absolutely HAVE to get in front of me right this very second or the world will surely end.  Congratulations, fellow driver. You are now exactly one car length in front of me, and all you had to do to achieve this feat was almost kill me. 

I'm generally a happy person, and honestly I've got a lot going for me compared to other craziness in this world. It's just that I have a low idiotic threshold. I can't help it. I'm pretty sure I was born that way. I know I'm not alone, which provides some comfort. I have friends who also cannot stand it when people misuse words to sounds smarter, or lack common courtesy like holding the door open for the person walking in the building behind you. But if you really want me to get angry, don't give me a "thank you wave" after I let you into traffic. It is by far, one of the rudest things you can do on the roadway. It bothers me so much that sometimes I wish I was some super secret undercover Rules of the Road cop, and could instantly flip on lights and sirens of my stealth undercover vehicle and take away your license. Just. Like. That. Silly? Sure. Impossible? Certainly. But, it would make me feel a heck of a lot better. 

So, what grinds your gears?